Slight drop in Long Island gas prices

Average gas prices across Long Island have dropped 0.4 cents to $3.73 a gallon this week – the first decrease the region has seen in more than six weeks.

Although Long Island pump prices were basically flat throughout March, they are still 7.2 cents higher than they were this time in February, and 16.3 cents lower than they were a year ago.

The national average has not budged, resting at $3.51 a gallon.

According to GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan, the recent stagnation may not mean a turnaround in upcoming weeks.

“While oil prices haven’t moved much higher, we are starting to see more chatter about refinery incidents as more of them finish maintenance and get back online,” DeHaan said in a statement. “This can lead to spikes in gasoline prices if several refineries see unexpected outages or longer than normal return to production times, so motorists should be vigilant. While I don’t expect prices across the nation to spike significantly, it’s a risk that’s on the table, ” DeHaan said.

This week, OK Petroleum on Montauk Highway in Brookhaven has the lowest gas prices, at $3.49 a gallon, with the Mobil station on Wall Street in Huntington with the highest, at $4.05 a gallon.